Plunger operated tongs



Sept. 17, 1935. o. oHLsoN `2,014,693

PLUNGER OPERATED TONGS Filed Jan. 13, 1934 Patented Sept. 17, 1935 UNITED' STT QES PATENT OFFRE PLUNGER OPERATED TONGS Application January 13, 1934, Serial No.. 706,454:

6` Claims.

The formof the present invention herein presented for illustration is designed forV handling ice cubes at the dining table, wherefore its jaws are given a spread and arc of movement suicient to embrace andgrip ice cubes of the dimensions which are produced by lthe generally used makes of domestic mechanical refrigerator. The principles of the invention are, however, obviously applicable to tongs of larger or smaller dimensions, for instance, sugar tongs, wherefore this illustration is not to be construed as a limitation of the invention in respect to dimensions, proportions and possible uses.

My object is to provide: tongs of the'plunger operated type having novel features of construction by which the structure is rendered more compact than tongs of similar types heretofore devised, the operation of the moving and actuating parts is made more efficient,A and manufacture at minimum cost is made possible. The particulars in which the invention consists are described in the following specification and more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the illustrative drawing herewithr- Fig. 1 is an elevation of the tongs. with the shank partly broken away to show the interior plunger;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the tongs as viewed from the right hand side of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a partial section taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a view like Fig. 3 except that the jaws are shown in closed position with the actuator similarly placed;

Fig. 5 is a plan as seen from a viewpoint abovethe position of Fig. l;

Figs. 6 and 7 are cross sections taken on lines iand 'l-l respectively of Fig. l;

Fig. 8 is a perspective view of disassembled parts of the tongs.

ike reference characters designate the same parts wherever they occur in all the figures.

The main parts of the tongs are a shank lil to which two jaws H and I2 are pivoted by a pivot stud it, and a plunger I4 which protrudes at one end from the shank and at its other end is coupled to. the jaws by means later described. The shank carries at. the end remote from the jaws a cross bar, or equivalent member which provides abutments l5 and Iii` adapted to be embraced by two fingers of the hand while a knob l'l on the extremity of the plunger is pressed upon by the thumb or the heel part of the hand.

Turning now to the details of construction, the shank is made of tubing, preferably in two sections; one. oi which-extending from thev cross -bar ttilt to lthe ferru'le l, is cylindrical, and the other of which, shown in Figs. 4 and 8 and designated le, is square in cross section. The square section is approximately equal in bothA 5 width dimensions to the bore of the tubular* sect'icnand its corners are cut` away for a short` distance adjacent to one end, as shown in Fig. 8- so that: the extensions of its` sides then remainingV are enabled to pass into the adjacent end of the l0 cylindrical section and to fit closely 'enoughv therein to be securely attachable by solder. The ferrule |81 surrounds they same part of the square section and has a ange envelopingY the tubular section. It also is secured by solder.` The other; 15 end o the square section isr cut through at two opposite sides so as to Vform tongues Zll whichv are bent in toward one another and provide an abutment for the spring 2l. The intermediate sides, are left intact and provide lugs 22 which are per- 20` forated to receive the pivot stud i3 and between which the butt ends of the jaws are received. In two opposite sides of the section t9, which may beeither pair of sides, are slots 23 to accommodate a coupling pin 24.

A coupling sleeve 25 which is a section of tubing sufficiently large to have a free sliding fit on the square shank section I9, is placed on the. latter and is connected with the plunger I4 by the pin 24 last mentioned. This sleeve is pro- 30 vided with prongs or lugs 2-6 at its four corners, the extremities of which are curled over making eyes 2'! for reception of the pins 28, 29, by which the jaws H and l2 respectively are, coupled to the sleeve. 'Ihe butt end of jaw ll is mounted 35 in the space 3ft between one pair of alined eyes and therjaw l2 is similarly mounted between the eyes cf the other pair. The sides of the sleeve intermediate both pairs of eyes are notched as at 3l to accommodate the pivot I3.

Pins 28 and 29 pass through slots 32 and 33 in the respective jaws and preferably are equipped with anti-friction rollers in those parts which occupy the slots. A suflicient rangev of plunger .movement is provided, and the slots 32 and 33 45 are suitably disposed, to effect movement of the jaws from the wide open position of Figs. l and 3 to the closed position of Fig. 4. Y

Spring 2l being under compression between the abutment 2t and the adjacent end of plunger M 50 thrusts the plunger outward and normally holds` the jaws in the open position. Their limi-ts of outward movement are established by shoulders 34 on them which abut against the contiguous sides of the shank section I9, as shown in Fig. 3;

the spaces 30 in the coupling sleeve being made deep enough to permit this eiect.

The jaw construction which I am now about to describe is a feature of the invention. Each jaw is made of two pieces, designated distinctively as II, IIa and I2, I2a, in the drawing. These four pieces are preferably made as stampings from sheet metal, and are duplicates of one another. The pieces II and IIa which make the jaw I I are soldered together at the tip of the jaw; and the pieces I2 and I2a are similarly soldered together. The shaded areas shown at 35 and 35 in Figs. 3 and 4 indicate in a general way the locations where the solder is applied. These pieces are so joined to one another as to be divergent away from the tips, whereby they are separated by a space of considerable width at the butts of the jaws, as appears from Figs. 2 and 5. When free and unconned, the spread between them is wider than that shown in these gures; which means that in being assembled with the shank the side pieces of the jaws must be squeezed in toward one another, and aiter being released they spread apart and press outwardly against the holding lugs 22. There is suflicient elasticity and resilience in the material of which the jaw pieces are made to cause them thus to expand and to bear with considerable pressure against these lugs. By this means the jaws are centered and tted to the holder without backlash and without necessity of making the space between the lugs exactly equal to the thickness of the material parts of the jaws.` 'I'his is a factor of practical importance from the point of View of manufacturing facility and cost.

In assembling the jaws they are preferably interleaved, being thus symmetrically arranged and their side pieces being put under equal stress. To accommodate this arrangement the spaces 35 in the coupling sleeve between the two alined eyes 21 of each pair are set off center by substantially the thickness of one of the jaw pieces,

being correspondingly and oppositely offset in thev two opposite sides of the sleeve. and the intermediate notches 3| These spaces are cut in an originally intact section of tubing by dies; and` the dies are so designed as to leave strips of the metal at opposite sides of the sleeve, and flanking the notches 30, suiciently long to be rolled up and form the eyes 21'.

The use of square tubing for the hank sectionV I9 and sleeve 25, which tubing can be bought in stock sizes suitable for the uses here described, enables me to provide the fulcrum lugs 22 for the jaws and the anchorages for the propelling pins 28 and 29 in suitable locations, with a minimum of machining and of operating cost. Accordingly I claim this as a factor of the invention. How-v ever, other features of invention herein claimed are not necessarily limited to cooperation and combination with those details only.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. Tongs consisting of a tubular shank having separated lugs at one end, jaws pivoted between said lugs in the approximate center line of the shank, a plunger movable endwise within the shank, a coupling sleeve tted to slide endwise on Vthe shank externally thereof and having propelling pins at opposite sides pivot, the jaws having slots in are respectively contained and of the fulcrum which said pins being disposed to cause closing and opening movements of the jaws by the pins with movements of the sleeve in opposite directions, and a motion transmitting 'connection between the plunger and sleeve.

2. Tongs comprising a shank having separated 5 lugs protruding at one extremity, jaws arranged"r with their butt ends between said lugs and connected thereto by a fulcrum pivot, a sleeve tted slidingly on the shank having two pairs of alined eyes arranged so that the eyes of each pair em- 10 brace one of the jaws, and pins mounted in said eyes, the jaws having slots receiving said pins and so disposed that movement of the sleeve endwise relatively to the shank causes the jaws to be spread apart and closed together respectively. l

3. Tongs consisting of jaws each formed of sim- I ilar flat pieces connected together at their tips and spread apart at their butt ends with provision i for resilient flexure toward one another, a shank y having separated lugs on one end between which the butt ends of the jaws are contained, the space between said lugs being less than the normal outside width of the interleaved jaw butts when free from external restraint, whereby the butt ends of said jaw pieces are confined under stress by the lugs when assembled between the lugs, and a fulcrum pivot connecting said lugs and overlapped jaw butts.

4. Tongs consisting of a shank having an end section with spaced apart lugs projecting from the outer end thereof and inturned spring abut-A ments between said lugs, a sleeve fitted slidingly on said shank section and having spaced apart projections arranged in opposite pairs, each pair having eyes in alinement with one another, jaws 35 extending each between the eyes of one of said pairs into overlapping relationship between said lugs, a fulcrum pivot passing through said lugs and the overlapping ends of the jaws, thrust propulsion pins carried each by a pair of said alined eyes, and the jaws being slotted each to receive one of said propulsion pins, a plunger slidable endwise within the shank coupled to said sleeve, and a spring reacting between the plunger and shank tending to hold the jaws in open position 5. Tongs consisting of a tubular shank, a plunger movable endwise within said shank, a spring reacting between the shank and plunger tending to thrust the plunger in one direction, an external sleeve fitted to slide on one end of the shank, a pin connecting said sleeve and plunger, the shank having slots in its sides through which said pin passes, and tong jaws pivoted to the shank and having cam propulsion connection with the sleeve. 5')

6. Tongs comprising a shank, a plunger longitudinally movable relative to said shank, a pair of jaws pivcted centrally to the shank at one end, a spring reacting betwen said plunger and shank tending to move the plunger away from the jaws, and coupling means between the jaws and plunger comprising a slot in each jaw extending transversely away from the center line of the shank from a point spaced outwardly from the central v pivot point and located between such pivot point 6" and the extremity of the jaw, and pins occupying the slots of the respective jaws andconnected with the plunger, whereby movement of the plunger toward the jaws is effective to close the ,J extremities of the latter toward one another.

OLOF OHLSON. 

